The second space flight of the British company Virgin Galactic has not yet departed and already has some historic facts to record. Two of its passengers will be the first mother and daughter to go into space together. They are also the first Caribbean women to make the trip.
How college student Anastatia Mayers and her mother Keisha Schahaff were chosen to form the Galactic 02 passenger group is also somewhat curious: they both won the lottery.
From Antigua to space
Anastatia and Keisha are from a small island in the Caribbean Sea called Antigua, a place of just 80,000 inhabitants. To broaden her horizons, the 18-year-old decided to study philosophy and physics at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. But little did she realize that the move would give her the unique opportunity to go where no one from the Caribbean had gone before.
During a flight to the United Kingdom to process her daughter's visa, Keisha received a pop-up message about a promotion that would draw tickets for spaceflight and raise funds for private space exploration.
"I filled out this sweepstakes and all of a sudden, months later, I get an email saying you're one of the 20 finalists. Then another one saying you're one of the five finalists, to become a winner," Keisha said in a press interview.
Virgin Galactic's official account on the social network X shared videos of each passenger's presentation. Anastatia is highlighted as a young woman with an "insatiable curiosity", but for whom space was "a distant dream".
🌟 Galactic Spotlight: Anastatia Mayers, Astronaut 013.
Ana is an insatiably curious college student and aspiring astrobiologist who thought space was just a distant dream. That was until her mother Keisha surprised her with spectacular news — they would fly together aboard… pic.twitter.com/REe6835hpe
— Virgin Galactic (@virgingalactic) July 28, 2023
Anastasia will also become the second youngest person to go into space. "My intention is simply to break down any barriers that we impose on ourselves or that the world imposes on us. I want people to know that no matter where you come from, who you are, whatever, your dream is your dream and you can make it happen, despite what anyone else says," she told the BBC.
The group of passengers will also include Jon Goodwin, who will become the first Olympic athlete and the second person with Parkinson's to travel into space.
How much does a trip on Virgin Galactic cost?
Although this is Virgin Galactic's second commercial trip, it will be the first with paying passengers. The rumored price of the adventure is currently $450,000, the equivalent of more than 2 million reais. Like the first trip, the second is expected to reach an altitude of 279,000 feet (85 km).
Currently, three major companies compete in the private space travel market. In addition to Virgin Galactic, owned by billionaire Richard Branson, the giant Blue Origin and Elon Musk's Space X are increasingly occupying the market.
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